Mise en place.

"if Louis Outhier, along with Paul Bocuse and the brothers Troisgros,
can be considered the second generation of French chefs restoring the
grandeur of their cuisine following World War II, with the likes of
Ferdinand Point preceding them, then Jean-Georges Vongerichten and his
contemporaries are carrying the mantle to the third generation."
--Ellen Brown
Art Culinaire issue 1, page 12 * Spring 1986

THOSE PRESCIENT WORDS, written twenty years ago in Atlanta, Georgia, were immortalized on a printing press in the country then known as West Germany. On the opposite page was a photo of the diminutive, mustachioed young Vongerichten being nearly engulfed by the chandelier-and-upholstery opulence of Boston's Le Marquis, where he had been chef de cuisine for one year.

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It has been two decades since publisher and chef Franz Mitterer founded Art Culinaire in order to bring the latest and best information about food and dining to those who are serious about food, be they professionals or enthusiastic spectators. In the mid-1980's, Americans had just begun to express an appreciation for the culinary arts, and for the creative impulses that continue to define and elevate this country's national cuisine. In the earliest issues of Art Culinaire, Vongerichten and his European-born counterparts dominated the pages; as the years unfolded, the American culinary landscape gave rise to an ever-greater number of homegrown chefs whose skills, training and creativity more than rivaled those of their Continental counterparts.

Technology, increasingly permeable global borders and a growing thirst for knowledge have all helped to revolutionize the world of food. Asian ingredients have materialized on the unlikeliest of menus, fused with everything from Latin staples to American comfort foods. Sous vide cooking is experiencing a second wave of popularity. Genetically-modified crops, organics, sustainable seafood and trans-fats are helping us think beyond the status-quo, and farmers and ranchers are starting to enjoy nearly the same professional respect as the chefs who use their custom-fed hogs and heirloom vegetables. Television has turned its glaring spotlight on all things culinary, with mixed results: for every Julia, Jacques or Lidia, there's a hot-headed egomaniac more worried about product placements or scripted tantrums than teaching viewers how to become better cooks.

Through all of this evolution, Art Culinaire has been there, capturing the best and most stunning ideas and inspirations of chefs everywhere. We've visited far-flung locations including Japan, Morocco, Italy, Australia, France, Hong Kong, England, Austria, Germany and Portugal, and have brought back recipes, photographs and stories of food and cooking from each of those cultures. And of course, we've charted the flow of culinary progress all over North America, from food meccas like New York and San Francisco to Tyson's Corner, Virginia and Hana, Hawaii.

Whether you've been collecting Art Culinaire since our first issue or are joining us for the very first time, we're glad you're here to help us celebrate our 20th anniversary. To all of the chefs who have contributed their time and talents, to all of the supporting personnel who have helped make our photoshoots successful, to all of the past members of the Art Culinaire staff, and to all of our readers: thank you. We hope you'll stay with us for at least another twenty years.

Ikw